Wall hanger for a heat exchanger



June 1969 J. c. M NABNEY WALL HANGER FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER Sheet Filed Dec. 21, 1966 ATTORNEY June 10, 1969 I -J. c, MCNABNEY 3,448,795

WALL HANGER FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Dec. 21. 1.966 I Sheet 2 Of 2 JNVENTOR.

JOHN C. MC NABNEY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,448,795 WALLHANGER FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER John C. McNabney, La Crosse, Wis., assignor to The Trane Company, La Crosse, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Dec. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 603,509

Int. Cl. F24h 9/08 US. Cl. 165-55 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to structure for hanging a heat exchanger and its enclosing panel against a wall. Such structures have conventionally been in the form of a wall plate or strip having a flange or projection offset from the wall so as to form a channel adjacent the wall in which a mating edge of an enclosing panel is held in place. Mounting structures of this design are shown in United States Patent Nos. 2,670,935 and 2,796,238. Experience with mounting arrangements of this type has brought to light several disadvantages. In the first place, irregularities in the wall surface cause the wall strip and its channel forming flange to wave in and out, creating difliculties for mounting a panel edge in such a wall channel. This problem is frequently compounded by variations in the enclosure panel metal gauge or by warpage of the panel. Secondly, enclosure panels which are merely hung over an upwardly projecting flange can be somewhat easily pushed or pulled out of place. Furthermore, hanger designs of the aforesaid type present a joint between the front panel top edge and the wall into which paint will flow if the unit is painted after installation. Subsequent removal of the enclosure panel causes an unsightly paint crack. Also, the use of a hanger mounting flange adjacent the wall makes it diflic'ult to install the enclosing panel directly under an overhanging window sill.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Having in mind the foregoing disadvantages associated with prior wall hangers for heat exchangers, I have designed an improved hanger strip particularly characterized by an integral, forwardly extending top member which is formed at its outer end to include a front panel retention channel remote from the wall to which the hanger is secured. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the retention channel or recess is made by bending the end of said top member back under and against itself, and then downwardly and outwardly. A section of the top member is thus beaded or hemmed, and the outer end of this hemmed section is also bent downwardly to provide a leg against which an upwardly extending flange on the top edge of an enclosing panel may be retained.

This construction offers several advantages over prior art designs. Installation of the enclosure panel is not ad versely affected by irregularities in the wall surface or in panel thickness because the hanger strip is so formed ICC that the panel retention channel is located a substantial distance away from the wall. By providing the means for engaging the enclosure panel outwardly from the wall, the hanger strip can be mounted under a window sill without encountering interference when installing the enclosure panel. Moreover, the location of the channel or recess on the underside of the forwardly extending top member of the hanger strip serves to conceal the joint between the enclosing panel and the hanger strip. If the unit is painted after assembly, paint will not readily flow into this joint and then break loose later if the enclosing panel is removed. Also, the formation of a retention channel as aforesaid provides a means for securely locking the enclosing panel in place.

These and other advantages and features of my improved hanger structure will be readily understood as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of the joint between the hanger strip and enclosing panel shown in FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 shows a modified form of hanger strip and enclosing panel joint.

FIGURE 6 shows a modified form of the hanger strip engaging portion of the enclosing panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGURE 1, the hanger strip of my invention is designated by numeral 1, and extends generally horizontally along a wall 2 against which a heat exchanger 4 is to be supported. Hanger strip 1 is normally positioned at an elevated level on wall 2 above floor 3, and is comprised of an elongated, wall engaging back plate 6 and a forwardly extending top member 8. As is described in detail below, top member 8 is roll formed to provide a recess 10 in which the top edge 12 of an enclosing panel 14 is firmly retained. Enclosing panel 14 is shown with a slanted top portion 16 in which a plurality of air discharge louvers 18 are punched. The successful utilization of my improved hanger strip is of course not contingent upon the use of an enclosing panel having such a slanted top. Enclosing panels having other shapes may obviously be employed. For example, louvered top 16 could come straight out horizontally from top edge 12 and make a square joint with vertical front face 20 of enclosing panel 14.

A plurality of heat exchanger support brackets 24 are mounted at spaced intervals along wall 2. Each of the brackets 24 has a vertical portion 26 lying against wall 2 and a horizontal support arm 28. Arms 28 are notched at 30 to receive and retain the lower mating edge 32 of panel 14. The lower edge of back plate 6 is rolled upwardly to provide a flange or lip 22 which affords a convenient means of locating and mounting brackets 24 in the manner best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The top extension 34 of brackets 24 is punched out to form a downwardly turned tab 36 which interlocks with flange 22. Flange 22 serves as the sole means for supporting brackets 24 at their upper ends. The only fasteners required in this portion of the assembly are lag screws 3 38 used to fasten hanger strip 1 to wall 2. Brackets 24 are secured to wall 2 at their lower ends by law screws 41.

A plurality of vertically spaced openings 40 punched in vertical portion 26 of each of the brackets 24 function as mounting means for supplemental support arms 42. Tangs 44 on one end of support arms 42 may be hooked into any aligned pair of openings 40. A plurality of supplemental support arms 42 may be employed to support heat exchanger 4 at a desired level above main support arms 28 in the manner shown in FIGURES 1 thru 3. The arrangement of openings 40 and supplemental support arm 42 is particularly useful for selectively adjusting the height of heat exchanger 4 when steam is being employed as the heating medium. By mounting adjacent support arms 42 in successively higher pairs of openings 40, heat exchanger 4 extending across arms 42 will assume an inclined position, thus facilitating the drainage of steam condensate.

Heat exchanger 4 is comprised of a heating fluid conducting tube 46 and a plurality of spaced apart fins 48 mounted thereon. A cradle 50 receives tube 46 in its V-notched end walls 52 and 54, and is slidably supported on plastic bearing elements 56 and 58 fastened to the top of support arm 42. As is indicated in FIGURE 1, slots 60 and 62 are provided in bracker arms 42 and 28 respectively. Plastic bearing elements 56 and 58 may be fastened in either of slots 60 or 62 in the manner set forth in my copending application, Ser. No. 597,953 filed Nov. 30, 1966, now Patent No. 3,398,286. When steam is used as the heating medium, as in the embodiment shown, supplemental support arms 42 are mounted in the appropriate bracket openings 40 to support heat exchanger 4 in an inclined position, and plastic bearings 56 and 58 are fastened to arms 42. On a hot water heating system, supplemental support arms 42 would not be used, and plastic bearings 56 and 58 would be secured to main support arms 28 on which heat exchanger 4 would then be supported.

Hanger strip 1 is preferably made from 20 gauge sheet steel which is roll formed to provide recess 10 of the shape shown on an enlarged scale in FIGURE 4. The outer end of top member 8 is rolled back under itself, preferably up against the underside of member 8 in a hem or bead. The forward extremity 64 of the beaded section is bent downwardly, as is a length 66 of the inwardly turned section of member 8, thereby forming a downwardly facing channel shaped element supported beneath top member 8. Said channel shaped element is comprised of a base section 68 and downwardly depending sidewalls or legs 64 and 66. The innermost leg or wall 66 extends downwardly farther than leg 64 and terminates in a forwardly projecting lip 70'.

In the design configuration shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, lip 7 extends forwardly or outwardly as a bottom wall beyond the downward extension of leg 64. This arrangement permits the easy and secure placement of the mating top edge 12 of panel 14 in recess or channel 10. Edge 12 is formed to include an upwardly extending flange 72 and a downwardly angling knee 74 having a backwardly inclined arm 76. The top edge 12 of enclosing panel 14 is engaged in recess by simply hooking flange 72' behind leg 64 with the bottom of panel 14 raised slightly upwards, and then rotating panel 14 downwardly until arm 76 bears against bottom wall 70. It is the extension of bottom wall 70 outwardly beyond the vertical plane of leg 64 and the inclination of arm 76 that permits these two elements to cooperate in such a way that arm 76 comes to rest against wall 7 0 as panel 14 is being rotated downwardly. Since panel 14 is thus freely rotated into place in recess 10, there is no frictional contact holding top edge 12 in engagement with the hanger strip 1, and panel 14 may easily be moved laterally in hanger strip 1 to position it with respect to other front panels before locking bottom edge 32 in notches 30' of bracket arms 28.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of joint between panel 14 and the hanger strip, designated 5 in this variation. The hanger strip design is very similar in concept to that of FIGURE 4 and like reference numerals have therefore been used to identify like elements. Top member 8 is rolled under in a bead, as before, but section 80 lying against the underside of member 8 is now shorter, thus forming a narrower recess or channel 10 having downwardly extending side walls 64 and 82. A relatively short lip 84 projects forwardly from the bottom of side wall 82 and terminates in an inclined front edge 86. The top edge of panel 14 has an upwardly extending flange 88 and a straight, vertical portion 90. In order to engage panel 14 with hanger strip 5, flange 88- is slipped into recess 10 behind side wall 64. The bottom of panel 14 is then rotated through a complete downward are so as to cause the bottom 92 of vertical portion to snap up over inclined edge 86 and be held in frictional contact against lip 84.

In some cases, cover panel 14 may be made of such heavy gauge sheet steel as to preclude its top edge being roll formed to the desired shape for engagement in recess 10. In such instances panel 14 is shaped to provide only an upwardly extending flange 94 along its top edge, as is shown in FIGURE 6. A separate piece of sheet steel 96 is spot welded along the length of its mating flange 98 to flange 94, one of such weld joints being shown at 100. Piece 96 has a forwardly projecting knee 102 with an inclined bottom arm 104, these components being comparable in shape and function to knee 74 and arm 76 of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 4. Top member 8 of hanger strip 1 is roll formed to the identical shape as is shown in FIGURE 4, and like reference numerals have therefore been used to identify like elements of FIGURE 4. The top edge of panel 14 is secured to hanger strip 1 in the same manner as described above, with flange 94 and arm 104 serving to positively retain the top of panel 14 against leg 64 and bottom wall 70 respectively.

All of the embodiments of my invention described above achieve several particularly desirable results. Recess 10, presenting as it does a forwardly facing opening remote from wall 2, renders the installation of cover panel 14 quite simple. This feature becomes especially important on applications where the hanger strip is located under a window sill. If the enclosing panel has a sloping top 16 as in the embodiment shown, the sill can extend any distance out from the wall without interfering with the engagement of the panel. When an enclosing panel having a square top with a horizontal top wall is to be installed, the window sill may extend one quarter inch beyond the top 8 of the hanger strip without interfering with the engagement of the panel. The beaded or hemmed portion of top member 8 and the channel formed thereunder lend strength and rigidity to hanger strip 1 so that it will be immune to irregularities on the surface of wall 2. This is a decided improvement over prior art hanger strips which follow the uneven contour of the wall and necessitate much forcing and bending when inserting a panel edge between the wall and a flange on the hanger strip. Recess 10 is so shaped as to provide a positive interlock with the front edge 12 of panel 14, thus making it impossible to push or pull panel 14 out of hanger strip 1. This secure top retention of cover panel 14 on rigid hanger strip 1, coupled with the firm joint between the bottom edge 32 of panel 14 and bracket arm 28 insures a solid, structurally sound panel and hanger assembly. The relatively obscure joint between cover panel 14 and hanger strip 1 will not be filled with paint if the entire unit is painted after assembly. Subsequent removal of the enclosing panel will thus not cause an unsightly paint crack. It is also to be noted that forwardly extending top member 8 of hanger strip 1 can be used as a plaster stop on semi-recessed installations with no danger of plaster getting into the enclosing panel mounting channel and interfering with the assembly of the unit.

I do not intend that my invention by limited to the 5 particular embodiments shown and described, which are ill-ustrative only. Variations may occur to those skilled in the art which will be within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A hanger strip for supporting a finned tube heat exchange assembly in combination with a heat exchange tube, a front panel, support means for said tube, said front panel supported at its lower edge by said support means, which comprises an elongated backplate adapted to be secured horizontally against a wall, a member integral with said backplate extending outwardly from the upper portion thereof, a horizontally extending, channel-shaped element supported by and beneath said member in spaced relation with said backplate, said channel-shaped element defined by a front sidewall and a rear sidewall nearer said backplate than said front sidewall, said rear sidewall extending a greater distance downwardly than said front sidewall, said rear sidewall terminating in a lip which extends horizontally outwardly and beneath said first sidewall to define an outwardly facing open side in said channel element, said front panel having a top edge adapted to engage in said channel-shaped element to thereby hang said front panel from said hanger strip, said top edge of said front panel including a first element adapted to engage the back portion of said front sidewall of said channel element and a second element adapted to engage the top portion of said lip of said channel element.

2. The hanger strip of claim 1 further including an up wardly turned flange integral with the lower portion of said backplate.

3. The hanger strip of claim 2 wherein said support means is adapted to contact said wall below said hanger strip, said support means having a tab which engages said flange and thereby suspends said support means.

4. The hanger strip of claim 2 wherein said support means is adapted to be secured to said wall below said hanger strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,228,644 1/1966 Sand s 248-233 1,740,769 12/1929 Faber 248-232 1,885,537 11/1932 Murray et al. 165-55 2,250,330 7/1941 Eastwood et a1 165-55 X 2,501,147 3/1950 Tolan 165-55 2,632,632 3/1953 Downs 165-55 3,367,412 2/1968 Hagensick et al 165-67 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

ALBERT W. DAVIS, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

